We are now back to the Life of Jesus series on Wednesdays. Enjoy!

After Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to be crucified, the mob feels free to take liberties with Him. They dress him in a scarlet robe and put a crown of thorns on His head and a reed in His right hand, making Him look something like a king. They then mock Him, kneeling before Him and saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Finally, they spit on Him and take the reed and hit Him on the head with it. When they’re done having their fun with Jesus, they put His own clothes back on Him and lead Him away to be crucified. 

With His body badly beaten, it would seem that Jesus is not in any shape to carry a heavy cross all the way to the crucifixion site. So, the soldiers grab a man named Simon, of Cyrene, and tell him to carry the cross for Jesus. The procession then makes its way toward Golgotha, where Jesus will be crucified. (See Matthew 27:27-32, Mark 15:16-21, Luke 23:26).

Let’s recap what this man Simon experienced that day:

• He went to the palace, not really intending to do anything. He was just there to observe and see what was going on.
• Suddenly, without warning, he’s called upon to do something for Jesus. And not some light task, but something that requires considerable effort. 
• He agrees to perform the task and carries the cross for Jesus.
• When the work is complete, a task that may have just seemed like meaningless grunt work winds up being something that contributes to God’s plan of redemption for mankind.

Now, let’s compare the above to what can happen to us if we come to church ready to work for the Lord:

• Perhaps we typically go to church, not really intending to do anything. We just go to observe and listen and, hopefully, go home with a blessing.
• On any given day, perhaps without warning, an opportunity may arise to do something for the Lord. It may be something simple, or it may be something that requires considerable effort (even beyond that particular day).
• The question is: Do we agree to perform the task? Or do we say it’s too much work or will take too much time? Or do we say, let someone else do it?
• If we agree to do the work, then if the task is something that helps somebody, helps the church, or contributes to the work of the Lord in any way, we can feel blessed to have been used by God to do something that contributes in some small way to His plan to save mankind. If we refuse to be involved, then somebody else gets the blessing (or the work doesn’t get done at all).

In the case of Simon, the scriptures actually say he was “compelled” to do the work for Jesus. Hopefully, when we come to church, we are open to being compelled by the Holy Ghost to do something for the Lord. Although there’s nothing wrong with observing and listening at church, we are very much in need of people who are willing to give of their time and energy to assist with the work of the Church. So, think of church as more than just a place to receive a blessing. Come to church ready to work for the Lord — you never know how God might want to use you on any given day.